The Richardheathcotecommunityprimary School

The RichardHeathcoteCommunityPrimary School

Charging and Remissions Policy

Aim

The aim of this policy is to set out what charges will be levied for school activities, external lettings and extended school provision, what remissions will be implemented and the circumstances under which voluntary contributions will be requested from parents. Guidance is based on the Education Act 1996: Sections 449-462.

Responsibilities

The Governing Body of the School are responsible for determining the content of the policy and the Head teacher for implementation. Any determinations with respect to individual parents will be considered jointly by the head teacher (and/or Governing Body).

Definitions

Community Facilities – activities which the governors do not feel is of direct educational benefit to children at the school

Extended school provision – provision of childcare outside the standard school day where it is optional as to whether the child attends

External Lettings – letting to an organisation other than the school

Remission – where a charge is not payable, either in full or in part

Sinking Fund – a reserve put aside over a number of years to pay for major maintenance or renewal costs

Prohibition of Charges

The Governing Body of the School recognise that the legislation prohibits charges for the following:

• education provided during school hours (including the supply of any materials, books, instruments or other equipment);
• education provided outside school hours if it is part of the National Curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school, or part of religious education;
• tuition for pupils learning to play musical instruments if the tuition is required as an essential part of the National Curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination syllabus being followed by the pupil, or the first access to the Key Stage 2 Instrumental and Vocal Tuition Programme (Wider Opportunities);
• entry for a prescribed public examination, if the pupil has been prepared for it at the school;
• education provided on any trip that takes place during school hours;
• education provided on any trip that takes place outside school hours if it is part of the National Curriculum, or part of a syllabus for a prescribed public examination that the pupil is being prepared for at the school, or part of the schools basic curriculum for religious education;
• Supply teachers to cover for those teachers who are absent from school accompanying pupils on a residential trip;
• transporting registered pupils to or from the school premises, where the local education authority has a statutory obligation to provide transport;
• transporting registered pupils to other premises where the governing body or local education authority has arranged for pupils to be educated;
• transport that enables a pupil to meet an examination requirement when he has been prepared for that examination at the school;
• transport provided in connection with an educational trip

Charges

The Governing Body will determine, on a case-by-case basis for each of the following, whether a charge should be made and how much the charge should be. There is a general expectation that the following items will have charges associated with them, but exceptions may be made for strategic reasons (e.g. to encourage new activities at the school).

(a)board and lodging on residential visits (not to exceed the costs)

(b)the proportionate costs for an individual child of activities wholly or mainly outside school hours (‘optional extras’) to meet the costs for:

(i)travel

(ii)materials and equipment

(iii)non-teaching staff costs

(iv)entrance fees

(v)insurance costs

(c)individual or group tuition in the playing of a musical instrument

(d)re-sits for public examinations where no further preparation has been provided by the school

(e)costs of non-prescribed examinations where no further preparation has been provided by the school

(f)any other education, transport or examination fee unless charges are specifically prohibited

(g)breakages and replacements as a result of damages caused wilfully or negligently by pupils

(h)extra-curricular activities and school clubs, where there are significant costs to the school.

(i)Letting of the school premises or grounds to external providers of activities or events.

(j)Extended school care activities such as breakfast club, after school club, holiday clubs and “wrap around” nursery provision

(k)Charges for materials or ingredients where the pupils wish to have the finished product

(l)Cost of transport to take part in work experience

Consideration will be given to:

• the proportion of the costs recovered where a charge is to be made;
• whether any remission is to extend beyond the statutory minimum;
• whether or not special consideration is to be given to hardship cases not contained within the exemptions and how this is to be determined;
• arrangements for education where the parents fail to pay the charge being levied by the school;
• the level of support from the school budget where the level of voluntary contributions is insufficient to fund the visit or journey;
• the maximum amount that can be used from the school’s budget to support community facilities is the amount of the school standards grant allocation;
• any charge for a pupil activity should not exceed the actual cost. If further funds need to be raised to help in hardship cases, this must be voluntary
• for lettings, the charge should at least cover the cost, including:

Services (heat & light)

Staffing (security, caretaking & cleaning)

Administration

Wear & tear (sinking fund)

Remissions

Where the Governing Body determines to charge for board and lodging on a school trip or for items in categories (b), (c), (h) or (k); the following will apply:

Children whose parents are in receipt of the following support payments will, in addition to having a free school lunch entitlement, also be entitled to the remission of charges for board and lodging costs during residential school trips. The relevant support payments are:

a)Income Support;

b)Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance;

c)Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;

d)Child Tax Credit, where the parent is not entitled to Working Tax Credit and whose annual income (as assessed by HMRC) does not exceed £16,190 (Financial Year 14/15).

Voluntary Contribution

Parents may be invited to make a voluntary contribution for the following:

a) School trips (theatres, museums etc.)

b) Music tuition after school

c) Materials used in after school clubs

d)

e)

The terms of any request made to parents will specify that the request for a voluntary contribution in no way represents a charge. In addition the following will be made clear to parents:

a)that the contribution is genuinely voluntary and a parent is under no obligation to pay; and

b)that registered pupils at the school will not be treated differently according to whether or not their parents have made any contribution in response to the request.

The costs of any optional extra undertaken by any pupil whose parents/guardians are unable to pay may not be included in the charge to other pupils but must be funded through the delegated budget, school fund or other fundraising.

The responsibility for determining the level of voluntary contribution is delegated to the head teacher.

Date of Policy approved:

Date of Policy review:

Policy approved

Updated May 2010

Re-visited Oct 2010

Re-visited June 2014

Re-visited June 2015

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